Tolerate: to allow;exist or occur without interference.
Intolerance: unable or indisposed to tolerate; unwillingness to recognise and respect

I have always considered myself quite a nice person. I like food of all shapes, flavours and colours. From every country and continent. I don’t discriminate, I am an equal opportunity eater. It’s only the doctors who say I’m intolerant. And certain foods who refuse to tolerate me. They certainly refuse to recognise and respect my right to eat them without major physical discomfort and distress.

Gluten and lactose are not my friends.

Despite the negative attitudes surrounding me from many of those I love best, (cakes, ice cream, hot toast) I decided to become a chef. Not always easy when you live in a bread and milk filled world. I like to think that this has helped me become a better person as I embrace my differences and refuse to let the gluten get me down. I believe InTolerance. I am the InTolerant Chef.

Food should not be about what you can’t eat, but what you can and what you enjoy eating. This blog is about my journey of cooking and eating and discovery. It’s not a definitive guide to allergy awareness nor do my intolerances make me an expert. Your body is your responsibility, not mine. I only know what works for me.

I can tell you this..... No glutens were harmed in the making of this website.

February 8, 2013

Hazelnut Sea Scallops with Vinegarette Dressing

It's still hot on this side of the world, well in my part anyway, and so light meals are still very much on the menu.

I found it necessary this week to quickly devise a lunch dish very much at the last minute that not only needed to taste great, but had to impress my visitor as well.
A quick look around my kitchen revealed bags of nut flour still sitting on my bench and I thought how it would be interesting to use it in a savoury dish too.
The nuttiness is such a great contrast to sweet meats and I didn't want to be stuck in the kitchen for very long, the perfect answer was Scallops. Such creamy, sweet soft flesh with just a moment in the pan, all that was needed was a touch of acidity for the perfect ladies luncheon indeed- yummo!

Dice about half the shallot as finely as you can, you want lovely little pieces that will cook in seconds. You only need about a teaspoon per person at the most

When presenting my scallops very simply like this, I prefer not to have the roe attached, but of course that's a personal choice and up to you to decide when you go to make your own dish.

Add a bit of seasoning to the hazelnut meal, then toss the scallops in it and make sure that they're thoroughly coated

Melt the butter on moderate heat, then cook the scallops carefully for only about a minute or so per side. You don't want to burn the nut flour coating but you do want it to develop a bit of a nice crust, so don't turn them over too early or the nut coating will come off and stick to the bottom of the pan

Remove the scallops from the pan and quickly toss in the diced shallot.
Stir it around for a minute until it's just starting to soften

Pour in the vinegar, swizzle the pan around a bit to mix it through, then pull off the heat and you're done!

I served the scallops drizzled with a bit of the dressing and with some little herb flowers from the garden. It would have been really nice to have a few chunky bits of roasted hazelnuts on the plate as well just to reinforce the nut theme and it would have provided a lovely textural contrast to the gorgeous creaminess of the scallop meat as well- but I just didn't think of it in time! The touch of vinegar gave these little nutty beauties the perfect lift they needed, and I sure think my friend was impressed with my quick last minute meal.

So Dear Readers, what did you have for lunch today and do you like the roe on or off your scallops?

Oh Wow! That looks so delicious, I would love to try the combination myself! Personally I hate to waste any beautiful seafood flavour so I am a roe on person. ...although presentation is nicer with the roe removed :/ ... the jury is out.

I'm sure your friend was very impressed as this is a very impressive looking dish and I love the way you plated it with the gorgeous flowers. Yes, it's very hot in these parts. This weekend has been particularly hot but I'm not complaining as winter will be here before we know it xx

Thanks Kath! I guess I paid about $30ish a kilo for these little lovelies. They're definitely my favourite seafood indeed! I've got a heap of little herb flowers out at the moment with the veggie garden in full swing :)

About Me

The InTolerant Chef is the nom-de-plume of The InTolerant Chef.She lives in Canberra,Australia,with her husband Big J, and 2 daughters, Little j and Middle C. Gluten and Lactose are not her friends. She also has many chemicals who refuse to tolerate her, and insulin finds her hard to resist. Despite all this, the InTolerant Chef is a healthy,happy person who loves cooking for her family and friends.